Scholarship Semi-Finalists Named in Maltz Museum Contest

Cleveland, Ohio (March 1, 2012) – This year more than 1,800 students from 126 schools shared their solutions to stop hatred and discrimination by entering the fourth annual Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage Stop the Hate: Youth Speak Out essay contest. 24 of those students are now eligible for $100,000 in scholarships and prizes. Their essays address a variety of issues, from bullying to racial, ethnic and gender discrimination, from homelessness to the rights of those with special needs and more, and offer heartfelt and innovative solutions.

Essays have been read and scored in a rigorous process by more than 200 community volunteers. “The number of students who enter the contest is a testimony to their willingness to take a stand for change,” said Lynda A. Bender, Director of Education and Public Programs. More than 6,500 entries have been received in the contest’s first four years, an astonishing number that evidences the depth of concern among the youth of our region.

These 24 student semi-finalists will be narrowed down to ten finalists by a panel of community leaders acting as judges. Those finalists will compete for three college scholarships and other prizes by giving oral presentations at an awards ceremony on April 22 at Severance Hall.

Semi-finalists in grades 11-12 represent students from four of the seven eligible counties, and from seventeen schools. They are:

Jennifer Baumgartner, Kenston High School, Chagrin Falls

Elizabeth S. Clarke, Beaumont High School, Cleveland Heights

Paige J. Crawford, Cleveland School of the Arts

Naja Aramenta Jean Davis, Laurel High School, Shaker Heights

Jamison DeWeerd, Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School

Hannah Eliasoph, Orange High School

Jonah M. Firestone, Beachwood High School

Naomi Hill, Shaker Heights High School

Gabrielle Jones, Martin Luther King, Jr. High School, Cleveland

Seema Kazen, Yavne High School, Beachwood

Telayne Keith, Our Lady of the Elms High School, Akron

Randy Keller, Gilmour Academy High, Gates Mills

Jane Kim, Beaumont High School

Sarah Krafcik, Padua Franciscan High School, Parma

Rachel Lieberman, Orange High School

Bryan Naelitz, Marion L. Steele High School, Amherst

Christina Phelps, Beachwood High School

Scott Remer, Beachwood High School

Hannah Schmidt, Brush High School, Lyndhurst

Zachery Schwartz, Solon High School

Sherry Tanious, Solon High School

Divya Thomas, Kenston High School

Ciera L. West, Whitney Young High School, Cleveland

Allyson Zabell, Orange High School

Stop The Hate: Youth Speak Out is generously sponsored by Dealer Tire and KeyBank.